Rosie
23rd July 2007, 14:08
Continuing on from last week's test ride on the KL250 Super Sherpa...
Clint's brother's-friend's-wife has an XT that she doesn't use very much, so we arranged to take it for a ride on Sunday. In Taupo the day dawned fairly grey and cold, but was slowly clearing as we went to pick up the bike.
The ride:
Having been sitting around for a while, the battery on the XT was flat, and it needed a jump start.
Once it was going and had warmed up a bit, we headed out towards Poihipi Rd, then SH 32. There was snow on Mt Pureora, but by this stage the sun was shining, and other than the chilly breeze, it was shaping up to be a pretty good day. We took the gravel through Pureora Forest Park towards the park HQ, then, back on the seal, stopped at Whakamaru for lunch. Sheltered from the wind, we had a very nice lunch outside in the sun at the Dam Café. Wasn't quite warm enough to take our jackets off though. I was finding the XT a bit hard going on the highway, so after a short stretch of SH1, we went back towards Taupo via a collection of back roads. Including a bit more gravel that had quite a loose surface compared to the road through Pureora, so the bike was skittering around a little. It made me a bit nervous, but I'm sure I'd get used to it with practise.
Being the first substantial ride I've done on a different bike, jumping back on the KR felt pretty strange at first. And the first intersection we got to the bike pulled up a lot faster than I expected it to, suggesting that the XT's brakes aren't quite as good. I don’t remember that happening with the KL, but you'd have to ride the two bikes side by side to tell if the KL had better brakes or not.
The bike:
The XT is a pretty similar bike to the KL 250 I test rode last weekend. The KL looks a bit better on paper, but you have to ride both bikes to see what you think.
The KL I rode was brand new, this XT is a few years old, but hasn't seen much action (it had done around 990kms when we picked it up). It has more aggressive tyres than the KL, and didn't have mirrors fitted. Even with a lot of practise, I never quite got the hang of looking over my shoulder to see what was going on.
On the seal it didn't feel as nice to ride as the KL. I got used to it, and could cruise along at 100-ish by the end of the ride, but I still felt like I had to push myself a bit. It didn’t feel quite as powerful as the KL, and it would slow down a bit going up hills.
On the gravel it was pretty good. I rode over pot holes and corrugations with ease and grace. The bars must be a little higher than on the KL, because I could stand up comfortably, without having to stoop a little. Standing up was pretty cool, I felt like a meercat poking my head up and seeing what was going on. I was becoming more confident on the gravel, managing a blistering 60km/h by the end.
The XT's seat was more comfortable than the KL, and by shuffling around and standing up every now and then I didn't get sore.
On the open road I was blown about by the wind a bit, but didn't notice too much discomfort from the lack of windscreen.
Positive:
Comfortable seat
Can stand up comfortably
Wee bit nicer looking than the KL
Accurate speedo
No expensive fairings to damage
Plenty of off road potential
Available second hand
Negative:
Bit less power than the KL
Brakes not quite as good as my KR
More exhaust noise
Vibe through the handlebars
Didn't feel as nice on the open road as the KL
In Summary:
A pretty similar bike to the KL 250, but I think the KL was that little bit nicer on the road.
I enjoyed the ride, and was getting the hang of the gravel. It was good to see how a dual purpose bike goes on a longer ride on a variety of roads.
Clint's brother's-friend's-wife has an XT that she doesn't use very much, so we arranged to take it for a ride on Sunday. In Taupo the day dawned fairly grey and cold, but was slowly clearing as we went to pick up the bike.
The ride:
Having been sitting around for a while, the battery on the XT was flat, and it needed a jump start.
Once it was going and had warmed up a bit, we headed out towards Poihipi Rd, then SH 32. There was snow on Mt Pureora, but by this stage the sun was shining, and other than the chilly breeze, it was shaping up to be a pretty good day. We took the gravel through Pureora Forest Park towards the park HQ, then, back on the seal, stopped at Whakamaru for lunch. Sheltered from the wind, we had a very nice lunch outside in the sun at the Dam Café. Wasn't quite warm enough to take our jackets off though. I was finding the XT a bit hard going on the highway, so after a short stretch of SH1, we went back towards Taupo via a collection of back roads. Including a bit more gravel that had quite a loose surface compared to the road through Pureora, so the bike was skittering around a little. It made me a bit nervous, but I'm sure I'd get used to it with practise.
Being the first substantial ride I've done on a different bike, jumping back on the KR felt pretty strange at first. And the first intersection we got to the bike pulled up a lot faster than I expected it to, suggesting that the XT's brakes aren't quite as good. I don’t remember that happening with the KL, but you'd have to ride the two bikes side by side to tell if the KL had better brakes or not.
The bike:
The XT is a pretty similar bike to the KL 250 I test rode last weekend. The KL looks a bit better on paper, but you have to ride both bikes to see what you think.
The KL I rode was brand new, this XT is a few years old, but hasn't seen much action (it had done around 990kms when we picked it up). It has more aggressive tyres than the KL, and didn't have mirrors fitted. Even with a lot of practise, I never quite got the hang of looking over my shoulder to see what was going on.
On the seal it didn't feel as nice to ride as the KL. I got used to it, and could cruise along at 100-ish by the end of the ride, but I still felt like I had to push myself a bit. It didn’t feel quite as powerful as the KL, and it would slow down a bit going up hills.
On the gravel it was pretty good. I rode over pot holes and corrugations with ease and grace. The bars must be a little higher than on the KL, because I could stand up comfortably, without having to stoop a little. Standing up was pretty cool, I felt like a meercat poking my head up and seeing what was going on. I was becoming more confident on the gravel, managing a blistering 60km/h by the end.
The XT's seat was more comfortable than the KL, and by shuffling around and standing up every now and then I didn't get sore.
On the open road I was blown about by the wind a bit, but didn't notice too much discomfort from the lack of windscreen.
Positive:
Comfortable seat
Can stand up comfortably
Wee bit nicer looking than the KL
Accurate speedo
No expensive fairings to damage
Plenty of off road potential
Available second hand
Negative:
Bit less power than the KL
Brakes not quite as good as my KR
More exhaust noise
Vibe through the handlebars
Didn't feel as nice on the open road as the KL
In Summary:
A pretty similar bike to the KL 250, but I think the KL was that little bit nicer on the road.
I enjoyed the ride, and was getting the hang of the gravel. It was good to see how a dual purpose bike goes on a longer ride on a variety of roads.